Advice from Vienna Opera star, 98: ‘Stay positive’

Hilde Zadek is the last survivor of Vienna’s Golden Age post-War cast. A Hitler refugee who fled as a child to Palestine and returned to a hotbed of unreformed Nazis who disparaged her voice, her looks and her lifestyle choices, Hilde at 98 is totally free of rancour.

Asked for her advice to singers today, Hilde says:

‘Ich denke, dass jeder Mensch – es sei denn, er ist krank – zu einer positiven Lebenseinstellung gelangen kann. Ich musste mich in meiner Jugend einer schwierigen Realität stellen. Aber das gab mir letzten Endes auch Kraft.

I think everyone, unless they’re sick, can find a positive otlook. As a very young person I had to deal with a tough reality. But that, in the end, gave me strength.’

Long may she last.

with Christa Ludwig, 2014